High School Lacrosse 8-And-8: Philadelphia

This is one in an occasional series focusing on high school lacrosse hotspots from around the nation. Follow all the news from Pennsylvania and around the country on twitter at @ILPreps.

There still remains a slight collective chip on the shoulder from Philadelphia-area teams when it comes to their rivals south in Maryland. But the teams from Philadelphia continue making a stronger push each year that the best high school lacrosse is played in Pennsylvania—more specifically, Philadelphia.

Last year, Haverford School went wire-to-wire as the best team in the country. This year, the team that finishes as the nation’s unofficially crowned national champion could be Haverford School’s neighbors, two-time defending Pennsylvania state champion Conestoga.

But it won’t exactly be that easy for the Pioneers. For one, they’ll have to get by Haverford School, April 28, at the Katie Samson Invitational, and there are still plenty of loaded teams in the Philadelphia area that could get a crack at Conestoga, namely traditional power La Salle, and burgeoning power Garnet Valley, Abington and Ridley.

Heading into the bulk of inter-league and inter-region play, Here’s a look at the top eight teams, in order, and the top eight players, debatedly up for conjecture, in the 2012 season.

8 Teams To Watch

1. Conestoga – The Pioneers are 30-1 over their last 31 games, reaching back to last year. They have the most formidable attack in the state—possibly the country—in Bradlee Lord, Tyler Brooke and Connor Frisina. The defense is anchored by Duke-bound Jamie Ikeda and goalie Rob Zonino (Michigan), and the long stick middie Miles Thomas is having a super spring. Coach Brian Samson has beefed up the schedule, and the only challenge that may be left on the schedule is an April 28 date against Haverford School, the only team to beat the Pioneers in the last two years.

2. Haverford School – The Fords were killed by graduation—and still have a lot of talent back, starting with Virginia-bound Will McNamara, and a strong supporting cast that includes Henry Blynn (Brown), Zach Rego (Georgetown), Sam Rohr (Penn) and a very capable goalie in rangy, athletic Jake Landman. The Fords received a break, if you will, when they had their 30-game winning streak snapped with a loss to Landon (Md.) on March 23. The Fords are 30-1 over their last 31 games, dating back to last year’s 23-0 record and national championship. The class of the Inter-Academic League still holds court as the top team, but the gap is closing. Mark the April 28 date at the Katie Samson Tournament at Radnor High School down. The Fords face two-time defending state champion and the country’s current No. 1 team, Conestoga, a team that still carries that loss.

3. Episcopal Academy – The Churchmen have a nice mix of youth and senior leadership. There are 13 seniors back from a team that went 6-11 last year, but coach Andy Hayes expects a turnaround. And he’s getting it. Strengths will be defense and midfield, featuring Kevin Garhardt (Penn) and Ian Strain (Lehigh). Garhardt is a bonafide shut-down defender, and Strain controls the midfield. The Churchmen have already exceeded last year’s victory total with a 8-1 start this season, supported by the offense provided from Tyler Odell (Penn), who scored seven goals in a victory over St. Joseph’s Prep, and Dutch Buckley added four assists in Episcopal’s 14-4 victory. The goalie combination of Henry Coote and Tyler Morrell has been solid this spring.

4. Malvern Prep – The Friars will win on defense. It’s defense that kept Malvern Prep in the game against Conestoga, while its offense got on track. Defenders Eddie Morris (Johns Hopkins), Jack Sheridan (Notre Dame) and Kevin Samolsky will carry the Friars, along with junior goalie Matt Barrett (Virgina), one of the best goalies in the area. The Friars’ attack was stung hard by graduation, leaving the attack up to Jake Glancy, Conor Glancy, Tom O’Connor and Joe Dunn.

5. La Salle – The Explorers will be fun to watch with Matt Rambo and Sean Coleman leading the offense. Coleman is still out nursing an injury, which leaves the offense solely on Rambo. Explorers’ coach Bill Leahy will turn to goalie Corey Shaffer and a defense led by Casey Eidenshink (Lehigh). With defending St. Joseph’s Prep having a down year—so far—the Explorers appear primed to retain their traditional top spot in the Philadelphia Catholic League. But how far they go in the PIAA state playoffs will depend on how quickly Coleman returns.

6. Garnet Valley – It’s too bad the Jaguars play in the Central League—with Conestoga. Garnet Valley will win with defense, led by Ryan Guittare (Penn State) and Ryan Lehman (Maryland). The offense may be potent, buoyed by Vail Urso (Drexel), Rob Raucci (St. Joseph's), Jules Raucci (Drexel) and Joe Taulane. In most leagues, in other parts of the state, the Jags would be a favorite. Again, they just happen to be in the wrong league at the wrong time, with mighty Conestoga in the way.

8. Abington – New coach Ryan Greer has done a nice job taking the Abington program up another notch. The Ghosts will be led again by Princeton-bound Ryan Ambler and seem likely to win the Suburban One League. Junior Austin Pifani (North Carolina) steadies the defense. The Ghosts need to rebound from early setbacks against Ridley and Downingtown West.

8 PLAYERS TO WATCH

1. Bradlee Lord – Conestoga / Attack (Maryland) – He’s fast, a great dodger, and the most dangerous player with the ball on his stick in this area. Lord is a true game-changer, and though he’s marked tightly every game, he’s been exceptionally effective. His amazing play in the waning seconds of Conestoga’s 6-5 victory over Malvern Prep a few weeks ago is the reason Lord is the king of the class. An outstanding finisher.

2. Will McNamara – Haverford School / Midfield (Virginia) – He’s a first-line middie that plays man-down long pole. He’s that versatile. A great athlete who’s able to do it all. He has great range that can cover a lot of ground and proved his superiority with an all-around fantastic game against Gilman School last week. He finished with three goals, but took over when he had to, scoring a late third quarter goal that deflated a Gilman comeback.

3. Matt Rambo – LaSalle / Attack (Maryland) – A dominant lefty that’s dangerous for even teams that know what to expect. He’s still able to go left and still able to score. He draws slides, and is dangerous from anywhere. He’ll need to deal with more pressure with the graduation of Kevin Forster, who Rambo will join at Maryland. He possesses an accurate shot, and an uncanny ability to get the shot off, despite being opposing team’s number-one concern.

4. Matt Barrett – Malvern Prep / Goalie (Virginia) – He’s like a Brian Dougherty ‘Mini-Me.’ He’s large, quick, and very rangy. He has quick hands, and quick feet. Against Conestoga a few weeks ago, he singlehandedly kept the Friars in the game with several huge saves as the Friars got their offense going. He’s fearless, not afraid to stretch out and make a save.

5. Connor Frisina – Conestoga / Attack (Delaware) – Part of the best scoring tandem in the state, with Bradlee Lord. If he gets within 10 yards of the net, forget about it. Exceptionally quick around the crease, great game sense, and an ability to change direction on a dime.

6. Ryan Ambler – Abington / Attack (Princeton) – A lefty from a great lacrosse blood line. He quarterbacks the offense and does a little bit of everything with his heady style. He’s tall and agile with an accurate shot and a high lacrosse IQ.

7. Jackson Tamasitis – Penn Charter / Goalie (Army) – He’s set for Army and is the reason why the Quakers will be in games. He cuts down angles very well, communicates well and has been the backbone of the Quakers the last three years.

8. Steve Brodeur – Strath Haven / Goalie (Lehigh) – Brodeur simply makes saves. He sees the ball very well, and sees a heavy dose of shots. He doesn’t have much talent around him playing in the rugged Central League, which features Conestoga, yet he could be arguably the best senior goalie in the area.